|More

 

Text

Translate

Disclaimer

This translation is not completely accurate as it was automatically generated by a computer.
Powered by

By Diana Chandler*

1:00 P.M. EST Oct. 28, 2010 | NEW ORLEANS (UMNS)

Dillard University in New Orleans. A UMNS photo by Jason Martin.
View in Photo Gallery

The best shot of Hurricane Katrina was no match for Dillard University and the United Methodist connection.

Five years after Katrina, Dillard University is home to a new $38 million Professional Schools and Sciences Building and a $15 million multi-purpose student union. What’s more, every building left standing on the campus after Katrina’s flood waters receded has been completely rebuilt inside and refurbished with state-of-the-art technology.

Disaster planning, innovative marketing and strategic partnerships — especially with the United Methodist Black College Fund — were keys to the remarkable recovery, said Dillard University President Marvalene Hughes.

“Even in the hardest moments of despair, if you believe in the vision passionately enough, you will find a way to make it happen,” Hughes said. “My first message to you is you need to be psychologically prepared and the message is: No matter what happens, you can’t afford to not be calm, you can’t afford to not be purposeful, you can’t afford to not be in control.”

Hughes spoke at the opening session of the Black College Fund’s 2010 Living the Legacy Summit meeting in New Orleans on Oct. 3-5.

Marvalene Hughes, president of Dillard University, speaks to the crowd at the Black College Fund Legacy Summit in New Orleans.
A UMNS photo by Jason Martin.
View in Photo Gallery

She praised The United Methodist Church in particular for its support.

“The UMC has been supportive with its financial resources and the best psychological support I had,” said Hughes, noting that churches across the nation gave funds to the rebuilding effort above their planned Black College Fund contributions. A Pontiac, Mich., congregation collected $50,000 in a special appeal.

The summit is designed to build on the 2008 meeting that emphasized teamwork in institutional development and marketing.

Mona Duffel-Jones, Dillard University’s senior director for communications and marketing, said an innovative advertising campaign anchored by a new university logo helped the school rebuild after Katrina. The campaign was visible throughout the Web, on television and on area movie screens, Duffel-Jones said.

In addition to Dillard University, the Black College Fund supports Bennett College for Women, Greensboro, N.C.; Bethune-Cookman University, Daytona Beach, Fla.; Claflin University, Orangeburg, S.C.; Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta; Huston-Tillotson University, Austin, Texas; Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tenn.; Paine College, Augusta, Ga.; Philander Smith College, Little Rock, Ark.; Rust College, Holly Springs, Miss., and Wiley College, Marshall, Texas.

*Chandler is a freelance writer based in New Orleans.